Gomariz

Helei Gomariz

Karen Tucker

ENC 2135

25 Oct. 2015

Should the US Government Place Tighter Restrictions on Multi-million Dollar Corporations?

Death, cancer, poverty. Could all of these things be somehow linked to some of

America’s largest corporations? We read about oil spills in the news that kill coral reefs and

millions of marshland wildlife, we see the headlines “17 scientists speak up: Monsanto’s

roundup is causing cancer” (“Very Important Monsanto & GMO Headlines”), and know friends,

relatives, friends of friends, and neighbors who have died of lung cancer due to smoking. BP and

Chevron are still the leading gas companies in the United States, 42 million adults still smoke

cigarettes, and the herbicide Roundup is used on nearly every crop of corn and soy in America as

well as lawns and gardens. Why is this still happening? Many government officials and

politicians believe that America means capitalism and in that belief they forgive companies for

any transgressions, no matter how major. Are lawsuits enough to keep these corporations from

damaging the sustainability of human life on earth? I have noticed a trend in many things

American vs. European per se, America tends to think of the present vs. thinking ahead into the

future. Example: What do we need now? Oil. What will happen when it runs out? We’ll figure

that out when we reach that point. Well why not focus on that instead of waiting until we run

out? Because then oil companies will stop making a profit, and that would just devastate our

nation, according to corporate America.

1

Gomariz

Big Oil Companies: BP and Chevron

The Deepwater Horizon Spill, also known as the BP Oil Spill, began on April 20th, 2010.

To this day we are still seeing the aftereffects that it has had on the people and wildlife of the

Gulf of Mexico. This was the largest marine oil spill in earth’s history (“Deepwater Horizon oil

spill of 2010”). The Deepwater Horizon was an oilrig that BP had leased from the company

Transocean. The rig exploded on the night of April 20th, 2010 (“Deepwater Horizon oil spill of

2010”). Some time before the spill there had been a malfunction in a part of the drill called the

blowout preventer (“60 Minutes - BP Oil Disaster ‘Poison Tide’”). This was the part of the

machinery that prevented explosions and would stop the oil from rising to the surface.

Transocean and BP discussed the malfunction and Transocean suggested that they temporarily

shut down the rig to repair the malfunction. BP ordered that they continue to drill (“60 Minutes -

BP Oil Disaster ‘Poison Tide’”). A worker on the rig and survivor of the explosion, Mike

Williams, is interviewed and delivers some not so surprising news: “there was going to be a push

coming, a push to pick up production and pick up the pace,” says Williams in an interview by the

60 Minutes Report. BP is a multimillion-dollar corporation, and to keep making those millions

they need to keep up with the pace of consumers. Companies like these, it is argued, wield more

power in this nation than the government itself, and are capable of doing just about anything to

continue to make profit. The United States government recently came to a settlement of $20.8

billion to be paid by BP (“Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010”). Justice has been served, or so

one would think. This is not the first oil spill caused by an oil company. BP has a pretty nasty

history of being the least safe oil company in history. They have been responsible for three of the

most devastating oil spills in history and many other minor ones (Mouawad, “For BP, a History

2

Gomariz

of Spills and Safety Lapses”). Spills like these have been happening since the beginning of oil

production in the 1900s. There are lawsuits, trials, fines and charges filed against oil companies

such as BP, Shell and Chevron, yet their negligence and disregard for the well being of this earth

continues. Profit is the only goal. Is the government regulating enough to prevent disasters such

as this?

Philip Morris USA “Smoke to Your Throat’s Content”

Phillip Morris remains to this day the leading cigarette corporation in the world. They

produce brands such as Marlboro, Parliament, and Virginia Slims, which are extremely popular

in the United States (“Altria”). Out of all the different types of cancer that we know to exist,

statistics show that lung cancer remains to this day the most fatal type of cancer (“Common

Cancer Types”). Smoking cigarettes has been found to be the leading cause of lung cancer

(“Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting”). For many, smoking a cigarette

seems cool, but what they do not realize is that every time they say “one more won’t hurt,” they

have become addicted. Tobacco companies have been deceiving their consumers, until very

recently, by making their tobacco products appear to have health benefits. The company Philip

Morris International has used many slogans for their many brands including:

“Just what the doctor ordered.” (L&M)

“You’re so smart to smoke Parliaments.” (Parliament)

“When smokers changed to Phillip Morris every case of nose or throat—due to smoking—either

cleared completely or definitely improved!” (Philip Morris)

(“Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising”)

3

Gomariz

Recently the European parliament has put legislation in place that require tobacco companies to

place “a health warning combining pictures and text must cover 65 percent of the front and back

of all cigarette packs” (Castle, “European Ministers Agree to Stricter Tobacco Laws”). This

could include graphic pictures of smoke damaged lungs or the text “Smoking Kills,” among

others. Europe has also made most public facilities, schools, universities, no smoking zones.

In America the court cases against the tobacco companies have been more successful

than against any other corporation. One case in particular that occurred in 1988 was a pivotal

case for smokers against tobacco companies; it was also the first case in which the tobacco

companies had lost (Burtka, “Taking on Big Tobacco”). A woman began to smoke at the age of

16 and died at the age of 58 due to lung cancer. As she was dying her husband sued the cigarette

company –the Liggett Group (L&M cigarettes)– which had provided her with the means to fuel

her addiction. He won the case, and the Liggett Group was forced to pay him a fine of $400,000

(Burtka, “Taking on Big Tobacco”). This led to the investigations of the inner workings of

tobacco companies in the US, and their well kept secrets. Until the 1990’s, the public had been

skeptical about the adverse health effects of smoking cigarettes, but after the results of these

investigations were made public, the percentage of smoking Americans greatly decreased.

Unfortunately the case was overturned in 1992 due to stipulations about the state law (Burtka,

“Taking on Big Tobacco”). The main difference between tobacco companies and food and oil

companies are that cigarettes could be considered a luxury (even though most see them as an

addiction), and not essential for modern life in the United States, like food or gasoline. This is

my opinion as to why court cases against tobacco companies have produced such a large amount

of public uproar and have actually shaped public opinion and caused a difference in regards to

cigarette smoking. I have already discussed the detrimental effects that oil drilling has had on the

4

Gomariz

environment, yet we still continue to drill and consume oil at increasingly rapid rates. We do so

because a majority of people believe that it is essential to our current way of life in the United

States. Cigarettes are not.

Monsanto

Thousands of Indian farmers are committing

5

Gomariz

suicide after growing GM crops.

6

Gomariz

Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide

7

Gomariz

after growing GM crops.

“Thousands of Indian farmers are committing

suicide after growing GM crops.”

(qtd. in Plewis, 14)

The company Monsanto is the leading producer of patented genetically modified seeds as

well as the toxic herbicide Roundup. Monsanto originated in the United States, but it has now

grown to be an international company (Kloor, “Opponents of using genetically modified…

remain largely unaddressed”). Monsanto has invented a genetically modified seed that once

planted produces seeds that are infertile, which means that the farmers who plant these seeds will

need to repurchase more seeds from Monsanto before planting their next crop (Kluger et al.).

The corporation has now moved towards a more international market and began to sell their

8

Gomariz

seeds to farmers in India. They promise “flashy traits like herbicide and pest resistance into

everything from canola to corn” (Kluger et al.). The most impoverished farmers in developing

countries buy these seeds in the hopes that their crops will yield greater results than they have

ever had before. What happens when the price of cotton decreases to approximately to 8% of the

price it was before? (“Crop failure impels Indian farmer suicides”). Farmers cannot afford to buy

new seeds because now they are even poorer than they were originally. Not being able to feed

themselves or their families drives them to end their lives by drinking one of Monsanto’s

pesticides as a final desperate act and a warning to other farmers (Kloor, “Opponents of using

genetically modified… remain largely unaddressed”). This is only one example of the

detrimental effects that Monsanto’s sterile seeds have had.

Some scientists argue that the suicides were not a result of the genetically modified crops

because cotton sales and production were booming (Kloor, “Opponents of using genetically

modified… remain largely unaddressed”). What they may fail to realize is that the cotton

industry in India was booming because the prices were so cheap. The masses could buy cotton at

a cheap price, but the more cotton the farmers sold the more money they lost. Some also argue

that genetically modified seeds are vital to the future of food production and could end world

hunger (Kluger et al.). Others, however, argue that even though these seeds advertise a built-in

pesticide and herbicide, the fact that they are patented and equipped with an insurance policy of

producing crops with infertile seeds causes more damage to the lives of farmers in developing

countries (Kluger et al.). The United States has no way of regulating the sales of an international

company such as Monsanto outside of the United States, and the governments of developing

countries, such as India, are too corrupt to care or take any action.

9

Gomariz

Conclusion

Companies such as Monsanto, Philip Morris, and BP are only a few examples of

corporate giants who have abilities to overpower the law, and even governments. America has

lost sight of what made this nation great in the first place. America was established on the

foundations of democracy. The American constitution does not include a section about

corporations being the foundation of this country. These corporations were founded on the idea

of profit, not on the wellbeing of the people and the planet. How have these corporations come to

dominate and control even the highest of authorities? In 2012 alone, 300,000 organic farmers

filed lawsuits against Monsanto, but they never went to trial (“300,000 Organic Farmers Sue

Monsanto in Federal Court: Decision on March 31st to Go to Trial”). The government seems

unable to take any sort of action that will prevent these corporations from doing harm. If a citizen

commits a serious enough crime they will go to jail, possibly for many years. This is supposed to

provide an experience that will encourage them not to commit further crimes when they are

released. Statistics show that 67% of released convicts are back in jail within three years of their

release ("Recidivism"). Similarly, lawsuits are filed against corporations such as BP, and there

are consequences such as large fines and taking responsibility for clean up efforts. Yet within six

years of the Texas City refinery explosion, the tragedy of Deepwater Horizon occurred

(Mouawad,”For BP, a History of Spills and Safety Lapses”). The difference between a single

criminal and a large corporation is the area and number of people that are affected. A drug dealer

may have be able to affect an area the size of a city, but an oil spill on the gulf could affect at

least 3 states, a good portion of the ocean, fish and wildlife as well as humans, and the whole

southern fish trade, thus affecting commerce in the entire nation. This in turn could have much

10

Gomariz

larger consequences such as a rise in level of toxins in the ocean, destruction of coral reefs and

extinction of species. No corporate CEO will be punished for these crimes.

Works cited

“Altria.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

Ayers, Jane. “300,000 Organic Farmers Sue Monsanto in Federal Court: Decision on March 31st

to Go to Trial.” NationofChange. N.p., 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Dec. 2015.

Burtka, Allison. “Taking on Big Tobacco.” American Museum of Tort Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 25

Oct. 2015.

Castle, Stephen. “European Ministers Agree to Stricter Tobacco Laws.” The New York Times.

The New York Times, 21 June 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

“Common Cancer Types.” National Cancer Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

11

Gomariz

“Crop failure impels Indian farmer suicides.” UPI Security & Terrorism 6 Jan. 2011. General

OneFile. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

“Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica

Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

“Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting.” National Cancer Institute. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

Kloor, Keith. “Opponents of using genetically modified cotton in India claim that the technology

has resulted in the suicides of hundreds of thousands of farmers. They appear to be

wrong, and the real reasons why Indian farmers take their own lives remain largely

unaddressed.” Issues in Science and Technology 30.2 (2014): 65+. Opposing Viewpoints

in Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

Kluger, Jeffrey, et al. "The Suicide Seeds." Time 153.4 (1999): 44. Academic Search Complete.

Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

Mouawad, Jad. “For BP, a History of Spills and Safety Lapses.” The New York Times. The New

York Times, 08 May 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.

Plewis, Ian. “Indian Farmer Suicides: Is GM Cotton to Blame?” Significance11.1 (2014): 14-18.

Web.

12

Gomariz

“Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.

“Slogans.” Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct.

2015.

“Very Important Monsanto & GMO Headlines.” The Promise Revealed RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25

Oct. 2015.

“60 Minutes - BP Oil Disaster ‘Poison Tide’” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.

13